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Pickrick Project

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Pickrick Reopens as Lester Maddox Cafeteria  

September 26, 1964

Event Details

Date: September 26, 1964
Summary: Maddox attempted to circumvent the Civil Rights Act by claiming his restaurant served only in-state customers, aiming to exploit a legal loophole. He had a long-standing policy of refusing service to Black individuals, a fact he openly acknowledged in court, asserting that his refusal to serve Black customers was well-known and deliberate under his business, the Pickrick Corporation.

Quotations

“Lester Maddox told his followers: “The soul of America is being destroyed.”

Greene, Ronnie. Heart of Atlanta: Five Black Pastors and the Supreme Court Victory for Integration (pp. 123). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.

“Signs placed outside of Lester Maddox Cafeteria said “I Do Not Offer to Serve Either:
1.) integrationists, or, 2.) Interstate Travelers, Regardless of Race, Color, Creed or National Origin.”

Greene, Ronnie. Heart of Atlanta: Five Black Pastors and the Supreme Court Victory for Integration (pp. 121). Chicago Review Press. Kindle Edition.

Media/External Links

Restaurant Owner Refuses to Desegregate

Link to Media Source: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/upi_african_american/207/

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